Traditional shower systems used over the past 50 years have primarily included a showerhead and a series of valves for regulating the temperature of the shower (as well as control the follow of water to the showerhead). Most advances have been in the field showerhead design including various showerheads that variate flow of pressurized water to effectuate a massage. Other advances have included placement of multiple showerheads in series to create an envelope or cascade of water around a user. These additional showerheads are placed along the shower enclosure wall, or event on the ceiling of the shower. All of these advances have focused on the same fundamental shower system of a showerhead and regulating valves.
Review of patents dealing with shower systems highlights these limited advances. U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,780 entitled “Automated Bathroom” is directed to a system for regulating bathroom activities such as showering. However, the invention primarily relates to introducing bath additives and cleaning solutions to maintain the cleanliness of the bathroom.
Showering remains a fundamental regiment to ensure cleanliness as well as reduce the spread of disease. This is especially true and important in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. It is often the case that individuals being treated at these facilities have infirmities that prevent them from showering without assistance. However, assistance when showering is not only uncomfortable and embarrassing for the informed individual—but also requires a significant level of time and patience on the part of the professional assisting.
Very little has been done to create shower systems to assist infirmed individuals who cannot stand upright to take a shower.
Apart from shower systems for assisting infirmed individuals, there have also been very little advances in the field of automated shower systems for domestic use for effectuating a spa like experience. Current shower systems can optionally include a hand wand that is attached to the regulating valves. A flexible tube attaches the hand wand to the regulating valves such that the user can have greater freedom to provide direct water pressure to various parts of the user's torso. Optionally, these hand wands can include settings to allow changes in pressure. By engaging the hand wand, water is diverted from the showerhead (typically located above the wand) thus allowing for a more spa like feel.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art of shower system design for a robust attachment to an existing shower system to allow an infirmed individual to shower without need of assistance. Moreover, such attachment should provide a complete shower to those infirmed individuals with limited motor skills. In addition, there is a need in the art of domestic shower systems for an attachment that provides a spa like massage. Preferably, such device can be interchangeably used for both domestic and assisted living facilities in order to be mass-produced in a cost effective manner.